365 Bedtime Stories by Allison Christine

Author:Allison, Christine
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-75518-6
Publisher: Crown/Archetype
Published: 2011-03-02T00:00:00+00:00

July 5

The Clever Elfe

A GERMAN TALE

Once upon a time a man and a woman had a daughter who was so canny that they gave her the name of the Clever Elfe. One day the father said, “You know, our daughter is grown up now, and we must get her married soon.”

“Yes,” agreed the mother, “if we can find anyone who will have her.”

Soon after this a young man named Hans came to ask for their daughter’s hand in marriage, on one condition. If he did not find her as clever as they said, he would not many her.

“Oh, you’ll not be disappointed,” said the mother. “She can see the wind running through the streets and hear the footsteps of flies on the ceiling.”

What they did not tell Hans was how much their daughter disliked work or any bother, and that she spent most of her time just sitting around.

They arranged a dinner for the couple, and everyone seemed very happy. Presently the mother said, “Elfe, go into the cellar and draw some beer.” Clever Elfe took the jug and went downstairs. Then she fetched a chair and placed it in front of the cask of beer so that she would not have to stoop and tire her back. As she waited impatiently for the jug to fill, she happened to notice a crossbar in the ceiling that must have left there by accident.

Clever Elfe began to weep, having suddenly developed a superstitious fear that the crossbar would fall and kill someone. She stayed there so long weeping and wailing that her parents came down to investigate and joined in her lamentations. At last Hans went to the cellar to discover what was the matter, “Oh. dear Hans,” said the Elfe, “I have a premonition that if we many this crossbar may fall on your head and kill you.”

However silly the fear, Hans was flattered by her concern. “I believe you are a clever Elfe to weep on my account, and I want nothing else to make my household complete but a clever wife.”

He took her by the hand and led her back to the dinner table, and they were married soon after.

After several weeks of idleness, Hans was beginning to suspect that his bride did not like to work. As he set off for his job one morning he said, “Dear wife, do you think you could cut down the corn in our little cornfield today?”

“Yes, my dear Hans,” she replied. “I will if you wish it.”

After he left she went to the field, but decided to lay down and nap first before she began her work. Soon she was fast asleep, which is how she spent the whole day. Hans returned home, expecting his dinner, but no one was there, nor anything ready. “What a clever Elfe she is!” Hans thought. “So industrious that she cannot even come home for dinner.”

But as evening neared he decided to go out and look for her and see how much corn she had cut.

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